2000
#4,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,862
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.54
Rare Last name
Mckenney
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the given name Cináed or Cionaodh, meaning "born of fire."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,787 Americans carry the last name Mckenney. That puts it at #5,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,016 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mckenney surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Mckenney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,016
Census rank
#5,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,791 bearers of the surname Mckenney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenney, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mckenney
The surname McKenney is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic Mac Ionaidh, which means "son of the steward or chamberlain." The name is thought to have originated in the Scottish Highlands in the 13th or 14th century.
The McKenney name is believed to have first appeared in historical records in the late 15th century, with references to individuals bearing the name in various Scottish charters and documents. One of the earliest recorded instances is a mention of a John McKenney in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1498.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the McKenney family was prominent in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Inverness-shire. The name has close ties to the Clan MacDonald, with many McKenneys serving as chamberlains or stewards to the powerful MacDonald chiefs.
In the 18th century, several McKenneys gained recognition for their contributions to Scottish culture and society. Robert McKenney (1720-1788) was a renowned poet and writer who published a collection of Gaelic poems and songs. Another notable figure was Angus McKenney (1755-1832), a skilled woodcarver whose intricate works adorned many churches and buildings in the Highlands.
As the McKenney family dispersed throughout Scotland and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, including McKenny, McKeney, and McKinney. One notable bearer of the name was William McKinney (1806-1867), a Scottish-American politician who served as a U.S. Congressman from Virginia in the mid-19th century.
Other prominent individuals with the McKenney surname include Thomas Loraine McKenney (1785-1859), an American author and advocate for Native American rights, and James Michael McKenney (1862-1939), a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
The McKenney name has a rich history rooted in the Scottish Highlands, with a legacy that spans centuries and continues to endure across various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mckenney
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenney, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mckenney bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mckenney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 5,440
- Black or African American11.5% · 783
- Two or more races3.9% · 268
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 204
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mckenney
Mckenney appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,265
+403 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#5,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,791
-474 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,729 | 6,862 | 2.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,852 | 7,265 | 2.46 | +403 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #5,008 | 6,791 | 2.27 | -474 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 156 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mckenney surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,852 | #5,008 | -3.2% |
| Count | 7,265 | 6,791 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.46 | 2.27 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mckenney bearers went from 7,265 to 6,791 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,852 to #5,008.
FAQ
Mckenney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mckenney?
Name Census estimates that about 7,787 living Americans carry the surname Mckenney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,016 residents.
How common is Mckenney?
Mckenney ranks #5,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,791 people with the surname Mckenney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,787), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mckenney.
Has Mckenney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mckenney went from 7,265 recorded bearers to 6,791. That is a decrease of 474 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,852 to #5,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Mckenney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mckenney, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mckenney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (5,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mckenney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Black (11.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mckenney (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mckenney mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the given name Cináed or Cionaodh, meaning "born of fire." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mckenney (2.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Mckenney?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.